President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the Mount Meru Millers Zimbabwe Edible Oil Refinery Plant will eventually employ 1 000 locals when its capacity utilisation grows.
Mnangagwa commissioned the US$20 million plant which is located in Mahusekwa, Mashonaland East Province on Wednesday.
Addressing thousands of people ZANU PF supporters bussed from various parts of the province after the commissioning of the plant, Mnangagwa said:
I am honoured to be back here in Mashonaland East to officially commission the Edible Oil Refinery Plant valued at US$20 million.
Today’s visit follows the recent commissioning of the Central Registry e-passport office in Murehwa, as well as Radnor Mine in Mukuya, Mudzi district.
To date, other notable projects have been completed under the second republic such as Muchekeranwa Dam, Mutoko Royal Fruit and Vegetables Processing Plant, along with road, health and education infrastructure across the various districts of the country.
This factory will grow and when it grows it will be employing over 1 000 people.
Those of you from this area will get jobs and get satisfied. You no longer need to go to Harare for jobs.
The company makes cooking oil which we usually get from outside. We want you to grow sunflower, cotton and soya beans.
That is what is needed here. When we distribute inputs under Pfumvudza, I will make sure that we have a fund for those crops.
He said the new plant will produce 250 tonnes of edible soya oil per day and the by-products will be used for the manufacture of cosmetics, among other things. Mnangagwa said:
The by-products of edible oil products such as soya meal, cotton meal and sunflower meal are used in the production of stock feed, soya milk, textured vegetable protein products, cosmetics and health supplements among others.
There will be cosmetics to apply to the skin. Women can use them to enhance their beauty.
Mnangagwa said he had convinced the Mount Meru Millers Group president Atul Mittal to invest in Zimbabwe during a business Forum in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
On his part, Mittal said his company is committed to supporting the Manyame Rural District Council and its people.
He said production was currently at 3% of the plant’s capacity, but they are working on increasing it to reach 30%.